But two-parent families are not immune from the hardships of economic times, and children may face just as many of these stressors in a two-parent family if one parent does not work or looses his or her job. Thus, while two-parent families may be slightly more likely to provide a greater deal of economic security, the single parent family can also be one greatly affected or not at all affected by economic hardship.
Finally, support networks are perhaps the greatest resource that parents and children have; they are the people that parents and children can turn to in the event of an emergency or time of need. Growing up in some single parent families, many children see large support networks that consists of parents' friends, family members, colleagues and members of the community. These are the support networks that aid a child the most when he or she is struggling through school and personal problems. With these support networks, single parents do not feel as overwhelmed as they might without them. However, some single parents have few people to support them as a result of family feud, poverty while growing up, and a host of other reasons, and these single parents may struggle economically, emotionally, and psychologically, making the home a difficult place for the child. On the other hand, many...
Family members may form part of that network, while the parents' friends and acquaintances, as well as the congregation of a place of worship, can form the other. Just as in single parent-families, however, many two-parent families also suffer from a lack of support networks that come from the business of their lives, moving, and other circumstances.
Thus, growing up in a single parent family can either be vastly different from growing up in a two-parent family or rather similar to growing up in a two-parent family. The differences lie not in the number of parents, but in the different variables associated with a happy childhood, including parenting styles, economic status, and the support network. While it is more likely for two-parent families to have a greater abundance of the variables needed to make growing up a nothing-but-pleasant experience, it is nearly as likely for single parent families to have them as well. For this reason, it makes little difference whether a child grows up in a family with two parents or one parent as long as that child's needs are met. However, taking care of a child by one's self is still an extraordinary job, and there is little doubt that being a single parent is more difficult than having a partner.
